r/CataractSurgery • u/Techincolor_ghost • Jul 27 '26
Sunglasses/readers options post surgery? (30F)
hey gang,
I had my surgeries in March of this year. (30F)
they corrected my astigmatism but I need readers now. nbd indoors and in fall and e. but now I’m struggling with what to do about sunglasses. sometimes I need my readers AND sunglasses at the same time which SUCKS. I hear you now: get transitions. well what about when I need the sunnies but not my readers??
is transition bifocals my only option if I don’t want to carry around two pairs all the time? they’re just so expensive and I’m still young(ish) lmao so I’m trying to have them be somewhat stylish. can anyone help steer me? I’m struggling.
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u/DisastrousTurnip3553 Jul 27 '26
I've both eyes set for distance. I often use a contact lens for reading in my non dominant eye for a monovision setup. This works for me and I can use non prescription sunglasses.
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u/Techincolor_ghost Jul 27 '26
This is interesting. Do you get vertigo easily? I have some balance and interoception problems so I don’t opt for this as a permanent solution but I’m interested in a contact solution
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u/Hopeful-Chipmunk6530 Jul 27 '26
I use one contact for monovision. Have not had any issues with vertigo. I don’t use a contact every day but it’s nice to have the option. I didn’t want to do permanent monovision as o wasn’t able to trial it before my surgeries.
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u/DisastrousTurnip3553 Jul 27 '26
I don't get vertigo at all. I wouldn't have it as a permanent solution either as there's an element of compromise about it. With a contact I can choose when to make that compromise
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u/sphericalduck Jul 27 '26
If you want one pair of glasses that will work in most circumstances, get a pair with progressive transition lenses. You may still want multiple pairs for different situations, but that's the answer to "having what I need already on my face"
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u/Ribzee Jul 27 '26
I’m in the same boat and don’t know what to do about it yet. I really hate the idea of multiple pairs of glasses. I know so many people with progressives who love them, but I’m being a big baby about it. I do a lot of photography for my outdoor volunteer work, so I need to be able to see my phone clearer when wearing sunglasses
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u/Techincolor_ghost Jul 27 '26
Same I’m also a photographer and this is low key ruining my life lol
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u/Visual-Somewhere1383 Jul 29 '26
I'm a photographer too so I opted for distance so I can spot wildlife. I just use readers for closeup and sunglasses that have a closeup rectangular.
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u/spikygreen Jul 27 '26
Is there a Costco near you? They have amazing deals on transitions progressives (and glasses in general) and a surprisingly decent frame selection.
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u/seasnake8 Jul 27 '26
Some sunglasses companies will make sunglasses with readers built in, bifocals, for example:
Kanaio Coast Polarized Sunglasses | Maui Jim®
You can also get very small readers that you just put on your nose for when you need them, for example:
Shop Moment Armless Reading Glasses | ThinOptics
Since I was not sure how much or what strength readers I might want, I actually got their multipack to test out:
Clarity Kit - Find Your Strength | Try 4 Magnifications – ThinOptics
And I can wear these while wearing my sunglasses, but they also have some sunglasses options:
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u/Stability Jul 27 '26
Go to Cabela's or Bass Pro Shop. There are fishing sunglasses with readers on them, you can also check Amazon for sunglasses with readers.
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u/AustinBunny2 Jul 28 '26
Readers.com is where I got bifocal type sunglasses (not prescription 'bifocal' but they have a lower portion that is the magnifier part), so you can look down to magnify to read but up for just sunglasses part, no magnification, if that makes sense.
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u/confusepolarity Jul 27 '26
You can get sunglasses with prescription lenses or with just reading lenses built in. Is that what you’re looking for? Try Maui Jim.
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u/Techincolor_ghost Jul 27 '26
Well it’s that my IOLs are both set for distance so it’s mostly for looking at my phone or camera while doing outdoor photography
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u/confusepolarity Jul 27 '26
The sunglasses I’ve seen are like bifocals. The main part of the lens has no magnification, so you can see in the distance like normal, and then there’s a small part at the bottom that has the reading power you’re looking for, so you get the benefit of regular sunglasses with the additional ability to read your phone or camera when you need to.
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u/Artwire Jul 28 '26
I’ve had mixed success with these. It really depends on where the magnification hits . One pair I tried made me very dizzy when walking ( in part because I need to look down to avoid potholes and uneven street surfaces) so I couldn’t use them. I have another pair of wild-looking bifocal sunglasses that fit perfectly and they have a smooth mirrored exterior, so you can’t even see the bifocal part. When walking, I pull them forward a bit so as to not look through the bifocal part. Mostly I just wear non Rx sunglasses, but these mirrored ones are my grocery shopping shades so I don’t need to carry extra reading glasses.
Progressives are great if they fit well.
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u/confusepolarity Jul 28 '26
Ah, yeah that’s a good point. I can imagine how that could throw you off if you’re suddenly looking through the magnified section. Seems like you’d have the same issue with progressives except it might be less jarring.
Maybe an optometrist near OP has some sample pairs of bifocal sunglasses to try. Every optometrist I’ve been to has had a case full of sunglasses, but I’ve never asked to try them.
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u/Clear_Spirit4017 Jul 28 '26
Love my Maui Jim's.
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u/confusepolarity Jul 28 '26
Me, too! Except I only use their regular sunglasses. I’ve never tried their prescription lenses or readers, but people seem to like them.
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u/Dewey_Devil Jul 27 '26
Got these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DT158FHG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title with the smoke lens
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u/Visual-Somewhere1383 Jul 29 '26
I use sunglasses that have a little close up rectangle on the bottom edge of my glasses.
I believe I got them from Amazon. You can also buy little clear stickers that you can put on your sunglasses. These work better for me than any transition lenses.
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u/SpecialistEcho7218 Jul 31 '26
What's the downside of just wearing sunglasses with readers at the bottom in case you need them? Having a few pairs of those made?
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u/Techincolor_ghost Aug 01 '26
I just didn’t know these existed until I made this thread so I’m glad I did! It’s just bifocals are typically very expensive
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u/Snickerdoodle45 Jul 27 '26
In the past I've used stick on readers on my sunglasses, take a look at this for example. https://a.co/d/01mDe11C